Happy 5th Birthday Makena!

This year, Makena chose a big present instead of a big party. She chose a Lego Friends set which she called The Barn Set. It came with a couple girls, three horses (her favorite animal) and other farm animals.  

On the day of her birthday, she had a few friends over. It was supposed to just be a playdate, but it turned into a small party. She invited six of her friends. 

The girls played for a little bit and then it was time for cake.

It was a noisy celebration...

...and she loved it!

We picked up Karis from school a little early so she could be part of the celebration. 

One of Makena's best friends moved away to Iowa a few months ago, but she was back in town for her Spring Break. She was able to join us for the party which made it extra special!

These sweet girls made it an easy and fun party!

Later in the week, Makena celebrated her birthday at school with her friends. Daddy joined in for the special snack!

Our New Pup, Ryder!

The kids have always wanted a dog (what kid doesn't?), but the last few months, they have REALLY been wanting a dog. Perhaps, it had a lot to do with a new TV show they all love called Paw Patrol (a boy named Ryder and his six dogs who help out in the community). 

Every time Kyle sees a dog he gets really excited. He points out every dog he sees when he's in the car. Makena used to be afraid of dogs but developed a new love for them. She loves to see our friends' dogs at their houses. 

I never thought I would be okay with living with a dog. I've never been a dog lover and surely I don't need one more thing making a mess in the house. But strangely over the last couple of months, I became more open to it. 

We started looking for a dog at the shelters. We did a lot of looking online, but only met a few. We met Ryder and liked him but we weren't quite ready to pull the trigger. A few days later, Ryder was adopted, so we kept looking. Ryder was returned to the shelter (the other family's dog did not like Ryder), so we went back to meet him. The kids loved him and wanted to take him home. So that's what we did! 

Ryder is just over one year old. He's a German Shepherd mix and just under 60 lbs. He's gentle and doesn't bark. He is quickly learning his name and a few basic commands. It's been fun watching him slowly get adjusted and start to relax in our home. I think he's liking it!

Makena has been his biggest fan. She loves having him around. She even wanted to skip the cake at a wedding to get back to Ryder. That's huge for her! Karis likes him too but Kyle is not yet a true fan. He doesn't like Ryder licking his face. Poor thing is the same height as the dog. Derek has taught Kyle how to put his arm across his face to block those wet kisses!

Flower Girls

Karis and Makena were asked to be flower girls for a couple in our small group who are on staff at church. The girls said yes, not knowing what they were agreeing to. Karis has been to one or two weddings as an infant, but both had never really seen a wedding. 

As the day approached, we talked more and more about what happens at a wedding and what they would do. They both started getting a little nervous because they didn't want people looking at them (their words, not mine). They got new dresses and shoes which helped build some excitement but the rehearsal confirmed for both of them that they didn't really want to do it. I told them that they had already told our friends that they would do it and it was their special day. They had to do it, but then they didn't have to do it again if they didn't want to. 

On the day of the wedding, they received their flower petals for their baskets. We practiced tossing them and they loved doing it. Thankfully, that helped make their task fun. During the wedding, Makena did great tossing the petals, even dumping the basket out at the front before turning off to the side. Karis did great too. She was definitely feeling the eyes on her as her head was down, but she looked up a couple times and tossed those flowers like a pro! I'm so proud of them for doing it even when they didn't really want to.

Makena said she would be a flower girl again, but Karis has decided she would decline any future offers. 

Ready for their big debut!

The flower girls and ring bearer

The princesses with their daddy

  

The girls had so many questions about the wedding and their own wedding. I can now only remember a few things they said. Karis wanted to know if this was where she was going to get married and how old she would be when she gets married. I told her probably around 25 or older. She then decided she no longer wants to marry Daddy because he'll be old when she get married. Makena wanted to know why all the groomsmen were dressed the same. At the end when each groomsmen escorted a bridesmaid, she thought they were all getting married too. Both girls intently watched the entire ceremony. 

Kyle did great sitting through the ceremony with Daddy. Perhaps the cookies he was munching on helped keep him quiet and well-behaved!

The girls gathered up all their flower petals at the end of the ceremony. 

The flower girls and the bride at the reception

Someone is Turning 5 Next Week!

Since Nana was in town visiting, we had an extra celebration for Makena's birthday. For dinner, we had Makena's favorite dinner -- burritos! She wanted Rice Krispy treats for dessert, so I made her some that looked like a cake. 

She finally received the Dora and Friends charm bracelet she's been wanting!

Nana is ending her week with us and heads back home in the morning. I'm sure she's looking forward to the warmer weather! It was nice having her around during the snow days and for the start of Spring break.

More Snow Days

We've had an unusual amount of snow this winter. We haven't gotten a lot, but often times there has been a sheet of ice underneath the snow. Our city does not have snow plows so we have to wait for the sun to clear the roads for us. 

The kids love staying home from school and in their pajamas all day. They love playing in the snow, but even more than that, they love the hot chocolate when they come inside. 

Makena showed Kyle how to catch snowflakes on his tongue. 

They didn't last long outside. It was cold!

We woke up one morning and snow covered the ground. I think we got about 3"- 4" overnight. It was beautiful. By early afternoon it started melting and by nightfall it was all gone. Karis managed to make a little snowman before it all melted. The girls enjoyed snowball fighting with Daddy. I enjoyed watching it all from the comfort and warmth of our house!

Kindergarten Zoo Program

The Kindergarten class learned a lot about different zoo animals from their zoo performance. They sang lots of fun songs filled with facts about zoo animals. It was super cute!

Karis enjoyed practicing the songs but she didn't want to be in the final performance. She doesn't like being on stage with people looking her. Even though she was nervous, she went along with it. She found us in the audience and then kept her eyes on the teacher. She sang all the songs and did all the motions. She didn't look nervous at all. She did great and we were super proud of her!

Snow Days!

We had rain and freezing temperatures Sunday night. The school district closed school on Monday and Tuesday. The kids were excited to stay home, especially since Daddy was home too. They announced the closing Sunday night so Derek and I were able to sleep in a little. 

The kids loved spending the day together. The girls got to watch a movie with hot cocoa, Kyle took an afternoon nap (which hasn't been happening every day lately), and I made some cookies. 

Derek had a great idea to let the kids go sledding down our icy driveway. We found some plastic trays, bundled up the kids and sent them down the driveway. Needless to say, the girls LOVED it!

 

Kyle, on the other hand, didn't like it. He was scared going down and didn't even like it when he went down with Daddy. He went down twice and then was done. Later he said that next time we go "sliding" he would like it. 

Another highlight of the day was that the girls got to spend some one-on-one time with Daddy. Makena had a lunch date with Daddy. They took their lunches upstairs (a no-food zone) and ate by the fireplace and then watched a TV show. Karis wanted a date too, so she had dinner with Daddy upstairs. So cute! They were so excited to be able to hang out with Daddy upstairs.

On Tuesday, we invited our next door neighbors to play at our house. They have a 2-year old and a 4-year old girl. We are getting to know them as they moved into the neighborhood a few months ago.

 I thought for sure after two days at home, the kids would be ready to go back to school Wednesday morning. All three of them, uncharacteristically, did not want to go to school. We had a great two days together!

Celebrating the 101st Day of School

For the 101st day of school, the kindergarteners dressed up as dalmatians. They paraded around the school for other students and parents to see. They day before, on the 100th day, they had special snacks and activities. Kindergarten is super fun!